2023-06-06 16:14:52
He hydrogen-powered train developed by the manufacturer CAF at its Zaragoza plant, it has reached an important milestone in the on-track testing phase. You have completed the first of the planned routes with the arrival of the unit at the Canfranc station, in the Aragonese Pyrenees, with which it has obtained authorization to circulate in tests by the General Interest Railway Network (RFIG). The demonstrator train was the first of its kind to overcome this challenge.
The project, called FCH2Rail, is promoted through a consortium that also includes Renfe, AdifToyota, Infraestructuras de Portugal, Stemmann-Technick, CNH2 and DLR and has financing of the European Union. Successfully completing this route is a great challenge, since the Canfranc line is especially demanding due to its steep and elevated ramps.
To this end, the demonstrator train, a Renfe Cercanías unit, has circulated on the Zaragoza-Canfranc line both in electric mode, in the electrified area, and in hybrid mode, combining energy from the hydrogen cells and batteriesin the non-electrified sections.
From now on, a new phase of on-track tests is being addressed with the objective of testing the new technology in a wide range of power and energy demand conditions, simulating different commercial services. To this end, the train is expected to run on different RFIG lines, mainly on the Aragón, Madrid and Galicia lines.
A sustainable alternative
The test scenarios include circulations in different climatic and operating conditions. This will allow a more complete characterization of the new on-board technology, for the subsequent evaluation of the competitiveness of the new hybrid bimode propulsion solution with hydrogen cells as a sustainable alternative to the diesel traction that is currently used on many lines.
The initiative is based on a current commuter unit of Renfein which CAF has installed a new solution for the generation of electricity from the hybridization of energy from hydrogen cells and batteries, and has integrated it in turn with the traction system already existing in the vehicle.
After the static test phase at the CAF Zaragoza plant and the first hydrogen refueling, the dynamic tests began in mid-2022 on a closed track, which have served to optimize the new system before the current testing phase in representative lines of the RFIG.
The start of this new phase of tests has meant the first authorization from Adif for the test circulation of a hydrogen train in the RFIG, surpassing all risk analysis and safety validation processes inherent to the trial of new technologies. At the same time, Renfe’s engineers and train managers have received the necessary training to drive the CIVIA train converted to a hydrogen bimode train.
The success in the development of this project, confirms and reinforces the commitment of the companies that form the FCH2Rail consortium for the development of environmentally friendly mobility solutions.
14 million budget
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The project is also counting on this testing phase with the invaluable collaboration of companies such as Iberdrola, in terms of the supply of green hydrogen for the train tests, the Aragonese firm Shie-Harpproviding a high-pressure hydrogen dispensing solution, and Ercrosa company that produces green H2 for mobility applications, which has facilitated the use of its facilities in sabiñánigo during the testing stage in the section between this town and Canfranc.
It must be remembered that this is a project that started at the beginning of 2021 and whose completion is scheduled for the end of 2024. With a budget of €14 million, the project has financing of 10 million euros from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, agency of the European Commission dedicated to promoting the development of hydrogen and fuel cells.
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